Sanjeevni Today

Curse of COVID-19 and Baha'i Faith: CURSE OF COVID 19 AND OTHER CALAMITIES

Sanjeevni Today 01-05-2020 12:27 AM

It has been a few years that we are seeing calamities and disasters befalling at regular intervals. We have seen famines, floods, major fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, wars, diseases and rise of communalism.

It has been a few years that we are seeing calamities and disasters befalling at regular intervals. We have seen famines, floods, major fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, wars, diseases and rise of communalism. The present pandemic COVID 19, is recent in series of such calamities.

For a Bahai, occurrence of such incidences should be a reminder. We, followers of Bahaullah, are not deprived of knowledge of the Divine Will. There have been ample prophesies from Bahaullah, Abdul Baha and the Guardian of such happenings.

As an example, Bahaullah said: “We have a fixed time for you, O people. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!”(Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p 214).

Also He warned: “The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.” (Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p118)

These prophesies are unfortunately mis-represented by a majority of the Bahais (read those who don’t believe in guardianship) to be destruction of old world order, i.e failure of all other faiths in answering to mans need for peace to an extent that the believers of those faiths out of exasperation would look towards a Universal Faith i.e. Bahai Faith (with belief of governance sans Guardian). Nothing can be more distant from the truth, because:

a) There is very little possibility of this realization by people of other religion. As we see, despite such calamities no one is even willing to re-look into their beliefs - rather fanatism and nationalism is on the rise.

b) The divine prophesies are first meant for those who have access to them for their reflection, and that is all those who proclaim to be Bahais.

Now, it is very clear that the prophesies are for those who have read the writings and for them to check their beliefs. Indeed a group proclaiming to be Bahais, working under governance of Universal House of Justice administered by a nine member fallible group, have forsaken the will and testament for submitting to a infallible Guardian. Indeed this group has sabotaged the Faith and is cause for major deviation from the path chosen by Divine decree. Indeed Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists are far away from access to these prophecies and cannot be responsible for the situation of the world today. This deviation initiated by a opportunists to gain control of the community has made the world subject to Divine Wrath.

We have seen in history that Divine Wrath befalls on the world whenever a prophet has been dis-obeyed by his nation. The nation of Bahaullah, most of them, have forsaken him and his teachings and has invited Divine Wrath. The events are fore warning and if those who sabotaged the Faith don’t mend their ways, it would progressively lead to their collapse and establishment of a new order under the Guardianship of a Guardian of the Faith. This is the Divine decree, bound to be realized, whether people like or dislike.

We have been advised by Bahaullah : “To whatever place We may be banished, however great the tribulation We may suffer, they who are the people of God must, with fixed resolve and perfect confidence, keep their eyes directed towards the Day Spring of Glory, and be busied in whatever may be conducive to the betterment of the world and the education of its peoples. All that hath befallen Us in the past hath advanced the interests of Our Revelation and blazoned its fame; and all that may befall Us in the future will have a like result. Cling ye, with your inmost hearts, to the Cause of God, a Cause that hath been sent down by Him Who is the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have, with the utmost kindliness and mercy, summoned and directed all peoples and nations to that which shall truly profit them.”(Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p270)